Key caveats and disclaimer

This page outlines the main limitations of National Monitoring System data and includes a disclaimer.

Disclaimer

The National Monitoring System data is derived from data provided by local authorities.

Whilst every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this data, the Ministry makes no representations or warranties about its accuracy, reliability, completeness or suitability for any particular purpose and disclaims all responsibility and all liability (including without limitation, liability in negligence) for all expenses, losses, damages (including indirect or consequential damage) and costs which you might incur as a result of the product being inaccurate or incomplete in any way or for any reason.

All datasets are updated as new information becomes available.

Key caveats

There are limitations to the quality of the National Monitoring System (NMS) data used to report on the implementation of the RMA by local authorities. The Ministry is working in partnership with local authorities to improve data quality for future reporting.

The main concerns are provided below.

Data is not consistently recorded

Different local authorities use different methods and technologies to undertake their functions and responsibilities and record information. This can make council to council comparisons less reliable and distort the national picture when data from all councils is combined.

Data is not provided in full

There are instances where either no data on a process or partial data was provided by a local authority. In these cases, summary figures may not provide a full and true representation of what is happening nationally. Note that statistical calculations are based on data that has been provided completely and was able to be verified.

Some local authorities have provided estimates for certain responses rather than actual data.

Lack of compatibility with the RMA Survey of Local Authorities

There is a general lack of compatibility with data from the RMA Survey of Local Authorities.

Questions asked of local authorities through the RMA Survey of Local Authorities did not remain constant from survey to survey. The NMS data is also far more detailed, particularly with regard to plan-making and resource consenting processes. This means that analysis of the NMS data against data from the RMA Survey of Local Authorities may not always be possible.